'When those doors open, I want to wow them. I want his mouth to drop open and his eyes pop out. That's what I want my dress to do.'

That's what I was thinking days after my engagement. I wanted my dress to be a showstopper. Of course I cared about where I would get married, flowers and all of that, but my gown- the gown that I was to become Mrs. Smith in- had to be stunning.

It wasn't until I started shopping for the dress that reality hit. Wedding dresses cost a lot. As stunning as I wanted it to be, I didn't want to blow my mother's budget on the dress.

Fortunately, I was able to get a dress I loved for $600 at dress chain, David's Bridal.

I was lucky though; I walked in and probably caught one of their many sales, so $600 was within reason. But where do Indianapolis brides go when they want an affordable option, and exactly what is affordable?

For Barbara Berman, Black Friday didn't mean getting in line at the crack of dawn for an electronic device. For her, it was a day to wedding dress shop.

Berman who will wed in late August found her dress at The Wedding Studio, 25 E. Main St., Carmel but she said it was difficult to stay within her parents $1,000 to $1,500 budget.

She actually fell in love with two dresses, but the one she bought- a form-fitting ivory dress with lace and a sweetheart neckline- was "semi-more affordable."

"It was hard to spend less than $2,000, and it was a rude awakening to me," she said. "I didn't want to make my parents work for another 30 years until they could retire."

Her advice to future brides: start with the low prices and go high.

"Do the cheaper ones (stores) first," she said. "(Our budget) was top of the line at David's Bridal and low of the line at the boutiques."

Another bride, Claire Cordray, found her dream dress after a little comparison shopping. The Carmel native lives in Chicago and got married in Indianapolis last August.

When she told employees at one bridal shop she didn't want to spend more than $1,200, she was immediately directed to the sales rack.

"I found my dress, but I was not about to buy it there," she said of the $1,500 price tag and service.

As fate would have it, she was able to buy the same dress at Nancy's Bridal Boutique, 3917 E. 82nd St. for $750. The dress was a strapless A-line gown made of satin material with a beaded belt and buttons down the back.

Part of her strategy can be attributed to stopping in the right place at the right time, but it's also because she asked for what she wanted, which is her advice to other budget-conscience brides.

"Do your research and don't be afraid to go out of your comfort zone and ask for a discount," she said. "I was a little afraid to tell them that (she needed a discount), (but) she was able to provide it even cheaper than I was expecting."

However, shopping bridal boutiques is not the only way to get a stunning gown for less. If you don't mind a gently used gown, you can check out bridal consignment stores like reTULLEd, 5607 E. Washington St.

reTULLED is a 2,250 square foot budget bridal heaven, according to owner Amy Lee Bonham. But don't think that dresses go there as a final resting place.

"I've got over 600 wedding gowns (and) that's just in bridal," she said. "For somebody new to shopping resale or consignment, over half of the dresses come from stores that are closed and they haven't been worn before."

From dresses that cost $200 and under to designer finds like an $800 Amsale gown that would cost $10,000 on the designer's website and $7,000 in a bridal boutique, Lee Bonham said she has something for every budget.

"If they were shopping consignment, they can probably expect 50 to 70 percent off retail price," Lee Bonham said.

Leslie Jones, owner of The Wedding Studio, 23 E. Main St., Carmel said affordable depends on what the bride wants.

"There's such a wide range of prices and it usually depends on the quality of fabrics," she said.

Jones said she sells dresses made mostly of silk and designer gowns like Martina Liana that range from $1,000 to $6,000.

However, Jones said if brides want designer quality, there is still a way to score a deal during a sample sale or a trunk show.

The shop owner hosts trunk shows throughout the year and has twice-yearly sample sales for brides who desire designer quality without the designer price. She also said she carries some sample gowns in the store, but the downside to sample dresses is the limited range of sizes.

"I have a variety of sizes, but it's just they're mostly the smaller sizes," she said. "The tens run small in bridal."

What if you don't want to hunt for a deal or order a gown through a bridal store? Maybe you want to design your own gown.

For about $1,000 for a traditional gown (think Disney princess with less poof and sparkles), Melissa Moore, owner of Perfect Stitch, 8615 Southeastern Ave. is willing to make it for you.

However, the cost of the dress aside, Moore said a lot of brides need to be concerned about things like alterations.

"The best way for a bride to get a deal is to have all the services not be the thing that is the most expensive and the biggest headache," she said.

A dress that fits well should only need a few nips and tucks like shortening and taking in the waist and those run between $250 to $400, with $400 being an extreme case of alterations Moore said.

Brides who get their dresses online for a steal often find out later why it was such a deep discount Moore said.

"It cost more to get the dress fixed for her to wear than for her to buy the dress," she said.

Jones said getting the right fit of your gown is worth the splurge.

"What I have seen going that route is much more stressful and you end up spending money," she said. "I think a bride needs to love her dress. I've seen a lot of them buy a second dress trying to be practical and never really loving it."

Contact Star reporter Whitney Smith at 444-6187 and follow her on Twitter and Facebook @IndysFruGal.